


Making of a Family

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Series: Twins!verse [8]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-16
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-15 21:25:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1319770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally written for Polybigbang!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making of a Family

There were times when Roy Harper wasn't sure if he had offended every Spirit in existence, or really made Them happy. He looked at his daughter, and knew her for the gift she was, despite the turbulence of the history between him and her mother. He looked at his sons... and sighed softly, still a little in shock over it all.

They were one month into the parenting of the magically created twins, and Roy was still unsure of how to cope at times. John Thomas and Raymond Lance were very real, living proof that life threw him the oddest damn curve balls from time to time. Yet, he'd gained Dick as a permanent partner in his life, settled in at the Titans Tower as a full time hero and dad with the full support of his team, and even Dinah's life was straightening out into something resembling happiness.

Of course, that would only last until Dick realized he'd gotten stuck with a loser, someone blew up the island, or whoever it was that Dinah was seeing so secretively broke her heart again. But hey, being negative had never gotten Roy much more than a drug habit, really. He'd take his twins, half his and half Dick, his daughter, and his team, and stack that against the pain any day of the week. He wasn't going to lose this, not this time. He'd backed off and let go too many times. 

`~`~`~`~`

Donna heard the crying of one of the babies, ignoring it until the baby's cry went up in pitch with the completely unmistakable tone of a very annoyed and unhappy small child. She went once it was simply impossible to ignore, wondering what had upset the boy. She slid in the door to find Dick trying his level best to soothe Lance's wails, while J.T. lay perfectly at peace in his crib, his eyes fixed on the mobile, apparently ignoring his twin completely. The other baby was certainly the only one that could, as the cries were much louder inside the suite. 

"Trust Roy's son to be the one who won't settle!" Dick said, half-joking -- probably to cover his worry, Donna could easily guess -- as the irate baby continued to yell himself red in the face.

"Here, Dick." Donna reached out, taking Lance from his father and petting him while checking his stomach for swelling or any fever. She hadn't forgotten this, after all. "Too young for teething, but his stomach feels a little swollen," she said softly.

The absolute panic on Dick's face would have been priceless (and fed her amusement for weeks) had she seen it, but the one-time mother had already turned and walked over towards the medicine chest. She juggled Lance to one arm, holding him easily there, and reached in for a small brown bottle with a white dropper. She'd remembered seeing it in all of the unpacking, and how a Fifth Dimensional Imp had known what to leave for babies was a mystery best left untouched. She certainly wasn't going to be the one to prod at Bat-Mite's actions any more closely.

"What's that?" came Dick's worried question as he moved over towards his son and his old friend, looking over her shoulder. "What's wrong with him?"

Donna just patiently measured a dose in the dropper, and squirted it toward the back of Lance's howling mouth. Dick's fretfulness could wait until she was done taking care of Lance. The baby had to stop crying long enough to swallow, which let the Amazon put him up over her shoulder to start gently patting his back. She looked at Dick, and shook her head, her smile gentle. It was kind of cute, to see her insanely effective, in-control team leader and old friend so frazzled and uncertain of what to do. 

"Just gas, Dick. Most likely. And the medicine is called Mylicon, which is no more dangerous or heavy than Gas-X. Same ingredients, just in baby sized doses." She started walking around the nursery, patting Lance and jiggling him to aid the medicine's work of breaking up the gas bubbles. 

"Gas? That's why he was screaming so loud?" Dick watched her move, but it looked like Donna knew what she was doing well enough that getting in her way would just get him smacked at with the hand currently patting Lance's back. He was glad _someone_ did, because he sure didn't. He was going through Tim's old books as quick as he had the time for, but he was still working quite a bit. 

"It might be colic. But if we can break up the gas, we'll know better," she said. "Colicky babies tend to gulp too much air, so getting rid of the gas certainly can't hurt to alleviate..." She was interrupted by a noticeable passing of air from both ends of the baby. Lance settled to a much smaller crying as a result, and that was definitely a welcome sign. "Yes, definitely gas." She smiled at her long-time best friend, still gentle and easy. "It's okay, Dick, to ask me for help," she said softly. "I know you and Roy both keep tiptoeing around me about the babies, but I'd rather be involved directly and use what I did learn."

Dick looked at her, moving over close enough to rub at his son's back, smiling at her over his tiny form. "I... Thanks, Donna. We just -- I know how much it hurt you, when you lost them, and when it all got dragged back up." 

"People heal. This..." She looked around the nursery all of them had helped to put together, then at him. "This helps. Because when it all comes down to it, the Titans are and have been my family since it was the five of us in that little cave." She passed him Lance when the boy seemed to finally be completely his usual cherubic self -- there was a joke at Roy in there somewhere, she was almost certain. Something about cherubs and their usual weapons, maybe? "There's not a one of us among the senior Titans who would not give about anything for you, for Roy, or for the children. Including me."

Dick flashed a long, slow smile at her for that, nodding as he decided maybe they'd been being a little bit stupid. Not like that would be all that new in their personal lives, but -– no sense in keeping it up. "Alright, Donna-girl. I'm glad it helps. I really am." 

"Good. Now don't be so silly next time." She gave him a smile before leaving Dick to his fatherly duties.

`~`~`~`~`

Vic let out a whoop of victory from the Tower control room. He'd been splitting his time between the coasts, working on some mystery project when the control room was clear, so the noise brought a couple of curious people to see what was going on. He looked at the younger ones -- Grant and Toni -- and shook his head at them. "I'm okay, so get the 'he's malfunctioned' look off your faces already." He then looked at Garth -- rare for him to be up here, these days, but the timing was perfect -- and Donna. "She's coming home! She got the message, and she cleared herself of the leadership, and she's coming home!!!"

"I wasn't..." Toni began under Grant's, "Now, Cy..."

Both of them were completely drowned out as Donna squeaked in sheer surprise and joy, turning to hug Garth until his ribs threatened to crack under the pressure. At his protest she let go and reached for Vic to hug him instead, pressing her cheek against his in exuberance. Vic wrapped golden arms around her, hugging her back. 

"Kory's coming back!" she breathed finally, earning a chuckle from her old friends.

"She sure is, Donna. I figured it was a good idea to let her know something was going on, only expected maybe a visit... but she's coming home!" Vic said, smiling. "Wait until I tell Gar!"

"I'm just wondering how Roy and Dick are going to take her being back," Garth said, shaking his head a little. "Kory and Dick... you know they're complicated."

Donna frowned, shaking her head at her old friend. "We've all grown up past that. Look at Roy and me."

"We've all seen you two, Donna," Vic teased her. "But you're right. They'll just be glad to have her home."

`~`~`~`~`

Koriand'r, otherwise known as Starfire of the Teen Titans, felt as though she had been away far too long as she came to light down on the Tower's grounds. Vic was the first to greet her -- his sensors gave him an advantage at knowing when people were coming in, most of the time -- hugging her with his shining golden arms. A moment later, a green puppy bounced up along her legs, wagging his tail with his tongue hanging out.

"GOLDY!" the ecstatic actor/hero squealed before going boy-form to hug her just as tight as he could, sneaking a moment to push his face low against her shoulder. 

"Hello, Garfield." She smiled over the enthusiastic young man at Vic. "Victor."

"Kory, it's damn good to see you." Vic slung an arm around her shoulders to guide her, with Gar, back inside the island's hidden tower. "I told you I had really big news about Roy and Dick, right?"

Kory nodded. "I assume they have finally made things official and mated in the eyes of all?"

"And how!" Gar said, cracking up at the way she had phrased it enough to drop to the ground and roll as a hyena for a moment.

Vic had to chuckle at that, and then laugh at Kory's prettily perplexed look at the younger Titan. "Easy, Kory... get fully inside, and we'll tell you more."

Vic settled in one of the bigger chairs in the den he picked, while Gar opted for the papasan chair, curling up in leopard form for kicks. Kory took a seat on the couch, stretching her long legs out on its length, and leaning into the back to relax fully.

"Oh it feels so good to be home," she said softly. The impact of her words hit both males like a ton of bricks; Earth was home to Kory now, which meant a lot of good things in their eyes. "So tell me about the news you withheld, Vic."

Vic took a moment to decide just how he was going to phrase this, before he grinned and shocked his long-time friend. "Roy and Dick both have children." Kory's eyes locked onto his face, her body and hair going still in shock. That was a rare sight at the best of times, a corner of his mind noticed. "With each other. Some magic imp that we are _not_ naming decided that a good joke on a certain broody Bat was a good idea, and created two kids that are genetically half and half of Boy Wonder and Speedy."

"I am... happy for them." Kory wrestled with her own emotions over that. Even back when she was going to follow through with her marriage, she had still wanted Dick as a consort and lover. However, given what she knew of Earth customs, he was now 'off the market' if she was reading Vic's tone and intimations correctly.

"They're still trying to settle out all the stuff." Gar shook his head. "Like Dick had to get himself booted off the police force, but he's still patrolling in Bludhaven. And Lian can't be neglected, and Dick doesn't quite know how to switch from uncle to papa with her and--"

"Salad-breath, shut up, would you? Goldilocks doesn't need a blow-by-blow of the Dick-and-Roy show," Vic complained. He looked at his long time friend when the leopard turned to rattlesnake to get a proper hiss out at him, rolling his eyes. Like the snake routine impressed him? 

"No, Victor, it is informative." Kory fought down the idle wish she'd had about picking back up with Dick. They were still friends, no matter what. "And everyone else?" she inquired, letting the most informed Titan give her all the latest news and data while she nursed her wounded heart.

`~`~`~`~`

Donna came in from her photo-shoot to find Kory in the middle of getting to know the younger team members like Toni and Grant a little better. She waited, just standing in the doorway, watching the beautiful woman that had been her friend, comrade, and so much more in the past. She watched the way Kory moved, the electricity that seemed to give her hair a life of its own, the svelte grace the other warrior princess of the Titans carried herself with, and knew she was hopeless over this issue.

She'd fallen in love with Kory some time back, but never really pressed the point, because of the lingering connections between each of them and the men in their lives. It didn't matter that they'd all four found reasons to share their beds with each other; that was more a part of being senior Titans in some ways, taking comfort after the pain they faced so often, than anything else.

No, this was deeper, and Donna knew she wanted to face it head on, but she'd be patient. She had to give Kory time to settle out, just as Dick and Roy would need time to adjust to Kory and what she meant to their relationship.

"Hey beautiful," Donna finally called, catching Kory's full attention. She was leaning in the door, hands shoved in the back pockets of her jeans, and looking as happy to see the alien as she actually was.

The casual pose evaporated as Kory cleared the distance between them, picking Donna up in an embrace that would have been bone-crushing if she had been human, and kissing her fully. Donna could only go with it, hands on Kory's shoulders in surprise at this warm a greeting when she'd just been wishing for something like it.

"I missed you too," Donna whispered to the alien princess when she let her speak again.

"No more missing me," Kory promised, holding on to her. "Let's fly." She suited action to words the moment Donna nodded, both of them leaving the underground tower in a rush to take to the skies high above New York. Kory's hand remained in Donna's as they did, both laughing at the acrobatic flight they wound up taking to dodge birds and air traffic.

Once they had a good altitude where they could be undisturbed, Kory spoke.

"This relationship of Dick and Roy, it is a good one now?" she asked.

Donna considered that, realizing rather belatedly that Kory did all things full-tilt. Just because she had kissed Donna didn't mean there was any true declaration of intent.

"They are trying very hard to make it all fit together," Donna said. "Not just for the babies, but because they both finally saw, and admitted to themselves, how much they complete each other. It gets rocky from time to time, but what relationship doesn't?"

Kory considered this carefully, before looking at her warrior-sister, the truest friend she had remaining. "And you have let go of Roy?"

That hit Donna in emotional vulnerabilities she had been unaware of. Roy... her first kiss, the first boy so over the moon for her, first male lover, always giving, so fragile under all the macho bullshit. He would always be in Donna's heart, but he belonged to Dick. Dick, who Donna had long ago chosen as her 'brother', the one man she could lean into no matter what.

"Kory, you never let go of loves shared. All you can do is accept that people change and move on." She smiled at her friend before shifting her flight to be under Kory, facing up towards her. "Roy needs Dick. And the other way around. It was time to move on."

Kory frowned, but she did not pursue the matter yet. Instead, she kissed Donna again, letting their reunion spill into more sensual activities, here in the clouds. Donna was more than willing to participate in that plan, wrapping around her lover and teammate hungrily.

`~`~`~`~`

Roy and Dick came up from the bowels of the Tower, each one packing one of the boys and Lian skittering between them. Roy was laughing at something Dick had said, until they each became aware of the fact there was one more body at the dinner table than usual.

"Hello," Kory said, sitting beside Donna with a bright smile on her face.

"Oh... hey Kory," Roy said, surprised, caught off guard, and feeling just a small spike of worry about how this was going to hit Dick.

Dick's smile brightened in response to hers, even though surprise had made him go still for a moment. What was Kory doing back on Earth again? He tucked his son close against his side to go say hello, kissing her cheek. "Hey Kory. So... who called and filled you in?" 

"Victor called, and said there was a surprise to come and see, and I wrapped up my part of the government to return home." She looked at the baby he held, her head cocked to the side as the boy's bright eyes focused on her face. She then smiled as he squealed loudly, fists waving in excitement at a new face.

"Must be Lance, with that reaction to the pretty lady," Donna said, only half teasing. 

"Hey, Dick's as bad a flirt as me," Roy protested, but she was right, as J.T. usually preferred Roy to hold him. 

"No, he's actually very good at his flirting," Donna retorted, "unlike someone else I could name..."

Dick laughed, and grinned over at Donna at what she said. "Thanks, Donna-girl. I do try. And yeah, this's Lance -- Raymond Lance Harper, really. Sure seems like he'd like to meet you, Kory." He held his son out carefully, helping her take him. 

"I can tell who's loved around here," Roy pouted, but he watched as Kory took the boy with a delicate touch, cradling him to her ample bosom so she could study his features.

"He's so delicate," Kory said softly, then she laughed as he caught her hair in a chubby fist and held on with a tight grip. "But strong!"

Donna laughed as well, smile widening. "Why did you think we've taken to wearing ponytails?" she asked, smiling over at Jesse. "Both of them love our hair."

"Well, who wouldn't, Donna?" Dick asked, smiling at her even as he moved back to Roy, leaning in against him, looking at Kory holding their son. "Pretty picture, isn't that?" he said quietly, mouth turned back towards Roy's ear. 

"Yeah," Roy admitted. Maybe, just maybe... he still mattered. Dick had committed to him, right? Kory being back couldn't change that. No matter how much history they had. He and Dick had longer. "Yeah, it is."

Donna flicked a look at her ex's face, and promised herself she'd make time for him. In the past, with their loose attachments, things had never been coded out as to who was whom's. Now... those babies needed stability, and Donna knew Roy was scared to death of that, of Dick feeling trapped.

Dick smiled, hearing Roy relax even though he wasn't sure what had wound him up, and brushed his jaw against Roy's cheek before he looked down at J.T. "C'mon, Kory's already got your son, let's introduce her to mine, and then they might not be hungry -- for a change; but I know I am." 

Roy moved closer to Kory, and swapped out the twins. J.T. took the opportunity to plunge a hand between the very large 'pillows' he found himself against, leading Donna, Vic, Gar, and Roy to laugh out loud.

"More a doer than a talker," Vic said in amusement, as he made room for Lian to sit between him and Gar. Donna came and helped get the twins into their high chairs, glad they were at the finger food stage, and gave them the little puffs that would occupy them while the adults ate.

Dick shook his head, laughing at his son with the others. "He didn't get _that_ from me, I don't think, Kory," he said, grinning wryly. Then he moved over and settled with one of the babies, keeping an eye on them with Roy while they ate. He'd seen how much work Lian was, but that was nothing on how much work the twins were. They were _so_ worth it, though. 

The boys, Donna had told him often, were thankfully at that stage of beginning to find independence, and enjoyed making messes of the food on their trays. Roy finished eating ahead of Dick, and opened a jar of the food waiting, since Lance looked bored with his puffs, and started trying to coax that into him. By and large, both twins were still happier with their bottles, but the solids were slowly making a dent in their awareness.

Kory just watched it all, amused by turns and curious at others, for child rearing was not something she was overly familiar with. She took in Lian, an older version of the tiny creatures demanding so much special attention, and realized she still demanded it, though differently, by making Vic and Gar talk to her or cut her food up smaller.

Parenting, she was seeing, was hard work of a kind she'd never known. But it made both men, and even the favorite uncles with Lian, look so peaceful. Peace, something so alien to her nature at one point, had become a cherished commodity.

`~`~`~`~`

Donna found Roy alone two days later. He seemed at ease, so she hesitated to bring anything up that might wreck that, so she just poked her head into the nursery and smiled. "Need a hand?"

Roy looked back at her, taking in that smile, the confidence that Donna couldn't help but exude, and grinned right back at her. "Nah, Donna-girl. Got it all under control today. Garth's up, and Lian took off to play with Cer first thing. Dick's got a case in the 'Haven that might take a day or two, but I can handle the boys."

"When are you two going to start taking them outside? Babies need sunlight, you know." 

Roy hesitated. Inside here, they could try and protect them from the world knowing about them, their so-vulnerable Achilles tendons. But Donna had a point. Hell, Slade Wilson already knew, because he'd managed to tap the Tower or something. He always did manage to turn up at just the wrong times. 

"We really are being way protective, aren't we?" Roy asked, realizing just how scared he was this time around, compared to when he'd gotten Lian. He'd been scared back then, too, but in different ways. He'd still been young enough to just panic at the 'I'm a father' compared to the 'I'm a hero with villains who nuke countries and would just love to hurt me'.

"It's not so bad, but you've both got family and such to meet them. Plus, the whole fresh air thing. And Lian is chafing at being cooped up so much, no matter how often Black Canary's shown up to get her and take her out."

Roy sighed, low in his throat, and nodded. "Connor and Ollie've already met them, but yeah, Donna-girl, you're right. Okay, so maybe I _do_ need a hand.... offer still open?" he was teasing as he asked, smiling at her. 

"Always. And, if you're worried I'm not bodyguard enough, we could always get Kory to come with us." She smiled at him. "Who'd think clearly enough to come up to us with her there?"

That made Roy have to laugh, grinning at her. "I couldn't be worried about you not being bodyguard enough, Wonder Chick, you know that... but hey, if Kory wants to get some time in the sun, who'm _I_ to argue with that view?" 

Donna laughed, then swatted him. She kissed his cheek on his protest, before moving to pack a bag for two babies that hadn't yet begun to walk but were crawling and planned where they ought to go to get the most out of it. Cerdian and Lian and Garth could come to, she decided in her head, which would limit how long they were out without Roy having to call it short out of his own worry. Cutting things to a shorter time for Cerdian's sake would be good for all of them.

It was very doable, and Kory had expressed an interest in helping with the babies, so Donna was glad the opportunity had presented itself so quickly.

`~`~`~`~`

Dick came home, half-exhausted, three days later to a nursery that was very quiet, an empty room where Lian normally slept, and Roy just waiting on him in bed. 

He came on into the bedroom, cocking his head at his partner even as he stripped out of his clothes, so grateful to be home. "So where's our girl?" 

"Dinah. Who has apparently moved to New York, for reasons she's not saying, and that have me on edge. I hate not knowing what's going on with Miss Secretive -– why did anybody think it was a good idea to have her back in Gotham picking up bad habits? The twins are up with Donna and Kory for the night." Roy looked bemused at that, but opened his arms to invite Dick to him.

"Moved to New York? Alright... And huh. A night without the kids..." He was tired... god, he was tired, but if they had time alone -- he wasn't going to turn that kind of opportunity down. "What _are_ we going to do with it?" he smiled, teasing and lazy, as he slid into his lover's arms. 

Roy laughed, low and dry. "You can sleep for a few hours, you know. They'll be out of here all night." He did kiss the entirely too sexy for his own good vigilante though, glad to have him home safely.

"Do I look that bad?" Dick asked once he finally pulled out of the kiss, tucking in tighter against him. 

"No, man, I just know you, Robbie. All work, no sleep." Roy curled around his lover, and settled him in a protective hold. "Sleep it off, and then you can wake me the best way ever," he whispered in Dick's ear. 

"Yeah... you do know me. And mmm. Count on it." Dick smiled, lazy and slow, and nuzzled into Roy, letting his eyes fall closed... and sleep took him a few moments later. 

`~`~`~`~`

Dick came out of their room and wandered toward the kitchen, wanting breakfast. Roy had been playful when Dick woke him in the middle of the night, and they had made love for hours before they both went back to sleep. Waking now, refreshed, and no alert buzzing him for the 'Haven or here in New York felt so damn good. He wanted food, and then he wanted his sons... unless Lian tackled him first, and that suited him just fine too.

Grant was raiding the food too, and tossed Dick a hesitant smile. Dick returned it full-fold, getting a more steady response from the young Titan. "Seen Roy?"

"Chief's up at the pool. Cerdian and his dad came up yesterday, so they're teaching the boys how to be comfortable in the water." Grant finished making his plate, and got fully out of the way of Dick Grayson's appetite.

"Cool. I'll go up there in a bit."

`~`~`~`~`

'They're' turned out to be more than Gill Head and Bow Breath, Dick realized as he entered the pool area. The most beautiful sight he'd been near in days greeted him, as he found Kory in the pool, Donna lounging beside it, Roy laughing near Kory, and both twins with their fists knotted in Kory's luxurious hair, each one with one of her hands on them, all while Garth kept Cerdian and Lian out of the way.

"Happy family picture there," Dinah said, from off to his side, lounging on a chair under the sunlamps. Dick looked her way, kind of surprised she wasn't in a bikini to sun, and sure his eyes were deceiving him, because the Canary? Was not a woman to carry extra weight. But she looked thicker in the middle than she had the last time he'd seen her. "You kids always did seem to be able to make the family side of this work better than we Leaguers did."

"Really...? I mean, maybe. We've screwed up a lot."

"But you won't, not now." Her voice was firm. "So, Tightwing, joining them in the water?" she asked, letting her voice go up to the minx register she used for flirting. Dick rolled his eyes, far too familiar with that tone, and peeled off his shirt, already in swim trunks from a stop at his room. "Where you heard that... oh wait."

"Nope, not her." Dinah let her eyes and the curve of her mouth do the laughing. "I think it might have been Stargirl... or Power Girl." She did laugh at Dick's eyes widening on the second name. Power Girl was as intimidatingly female as Starfire was, after all.

"Just tell Stargirl I don't date younger," he retorted, before going to dive in the deep end and stroke back to where the kids were playing. Dinah watched the dive, looking over the way the Titans all reacted to him joining them. Roy messed with his hair, and Kory gave him a kiss on the cheek, while Garth called out how weak his dive was, mocking his old friend. Donna chimed in, pointing out that not everyone could swim like a fish, and that got the Atlantean heir out of the water long enough to chase her and eventually put her in the pool too.

Dinah decided that was the perfect time to exit, leaving the kids -- no, not kids anymore -- the young people to their fun.

Roy paused in helping keep Lance up in the water as he kicked energetically, watching the woman he called mother on some days and sister on others walk out. She was worrying him, especially with that weight gain and being off active duty, but then the boys both needed attention, and he pushed it from his mind.

Now was for swimming, friends, and the family he was making.

`~`~`~`~`

Nightwing hated feeling shut out of anyone's life, at least from anyone on his team. He put up with enough being shut out by Bruce to put up with it from the people he shared most of his costumed life with.

That it was Arsenal, of all people, doing it to him hurt, yet the archer had pushed past him like he wasn't even there when he got to the scene. Nightwing let the sting slide away for now. This wasn't about _them_ , it couldn't be... they'd been tight for weeks and weeks now. Something else had to be wrong. He pushed on into the alley where the fight had taken place, trying to learn from Troia what happened after he and Starfire got pulled off following the new meta-gene kid that had started everything.

"Hey, what's up with..." His words died away as the coroner's van came to join the police on the scene, and he saw the defeated slump of his best female friend's shoulders. "Young?" he asked instead, a sick churning feeling in his guts.

"About sixteen, at most," Troia replied, her voice tight. "You saw Arsenal?"

"Was going to ask, honestly."

"Track marks, paraphernalia." The young woman looked at her team leader with worried eyes. "You know what this does to him."

Nightwing knew that real well. He cursed Oliver Queen, for possibly the thousandth time in his life, running from Romany to Russian in the litany when English didn't quite suit him. "He won't usually open up to me about this kind of thing, and last I heard Canary had gone off on some kind of secret thing in Africa." She'd been up in New York for weeks, but then Roy'd gotten a call that she was going to the savanna for a while.

Troia's jaw tightened. "I might be able to, but..." She did not want to make waves for them. Nightwing shook his head. 

"He's hurting, and you seem to be the one he trusts on his so-called screw up issues." It was just one of those things. Nightwing didn't like confiding about his issues about Bruce to Roy, because of how screwed up Roy and Ollie were, while Roy hated talking about the lowest point of his life with the person he most looked up to in his own set of peers. Dick thought Roy was being ridiculous, but he'd watched it going on far too long to not know how to get around it. 

"I'll talk to him at the Tower. Get Starfire to help you with the special gifts."

"I can do that," a small smile touching his lips at the code words for his sons and foster-daughter.

`~`~`~`~`

Donna slid into the room with Roy, hating that he had the lights off, hating that he felt the need to go and sulk and hide his pain. They, all the older ones at least, knew what he had gone through. Why couldn't he just open up, and admit how much it hurt?

"Roy."

She didn't get an answer, but at least that meant he wasn't turning her away either. She walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge as he laid on it, arm flung up over his forehead, other arm stretched out at his side, one knee up and other leg out straight, as if he'd just thrown himself back on the bed when he stripped out of his costume.

"Roy, honey..."

Between her voice and the settling on the bed, Roy launched himself toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist, his head on her thigh, as he just wept. She caught hold of him, and just kept him close as he let go of his tight controls. It was a hard, sobbing kind of release for his emotions, but at least he wasn't bottling them up anymore. She knew he so rarely let Dick see this part of him, the part that was scared and still hurt by something he'd long since beaten, and there had been more than a few times he hadn't let her in, either. She was grateful this wasn't one of them, and silently waited out the fall of his tears. 

"I knew the kid. He was at the last program I attended." Roy's voice was barely a whisper. "I thought I'd reached him. I thought he'd make it."

Donna closed her eyes at that personal sense of failure in Roy's voice, stroking his hair gently. "Baby, you can't save them all."

"Why not?!" Roy asked, demanded even. "Why not them? Why can't I pass on what I got?!"

Donna shifted, pulling him back to the pillows to lie down with her head on his chest, curling into him and making him hold her instead of the other way around. "Because, Roy, you can't force anyone to do what they are unable to want for themselves. But you can keep trying, trying to be the role model they aspire to be like."

"Maybe I'm failing at that, too."

Donna tried to find the best way to help Roy stop himself from falling into the inadequacy hole he tended to lose himself in. She thought of the children, and raised up enough to look at him.

"Roy William Harper Junior... if you don't get it through your thick skull that you are not a failure at anything, I will hold you down and let Lian paint you with all the makeup Kory and I own," she mock threatened, hitting him with the light of his lives. "And I'll let the boys have finger paints to add to it. _Then_ I'll send copies of the pictures to all of the seniors."

Roy snorted, but it was just the right tone for her to take, reminding him of what was the best part of his life, the children. No one, not even himself, could really knock his skill as a dad. Lian adored him and the babies were coming along just fine. "Dick mad at me?"

"No honey; just worried. I told him to get Kory to help with the kids, though."

Roy drew her back down to his chest. "Good. She seems to be enjoying the whole Aunt thing. Not to mention it gives her and Dick time together." He sounded as if he was okay with that. Donna had been tense the first few weeks Kory had come back, with everything so different. Roy's insecurities had settled, though, and Kory's willingness to help with the babies had gone a long way to making things almost normal for the four of them.

Almost normal being that they had become two couples, not a looser foursome with random combinations. Donna wondered just how it had evolved to that, when it seemed obvious to her and Kory both that the old way would have still worked fine, babies or not. But then, with Roy's issues and Dick's track record, maybe they had needed the time to bond tighter together. 

"You think there's enough to keep them occupied for us to catch a nap?" Donna asked, looking up into his eyes, curious and wishing things had settled out much differently. Roy had come out of the funk too easily; she wished she could be sure it would last, and intimacy was usually the best way to cement Roy's better moods. She wouldn't do that to either of them, right now, but she wished... 

"I think so, Donna-girl. Maybe with you here, I'll sleep okay." He closed his eyes, snuggled her close, and let her presence keep the nightmares at bay as long as possible.

It took a bit longer for Donna to sleep, wheels turning in her head.

`~`~`~`~`

"Will Roy be alright, Dick?" Kory asked, her voice soft as she rocked Lance, his head pillowed on her breast.

Dick was just as glad worrying about Roy was keeping him from envying his son, if he was honest with himself. He looked up from J.T.'s sleepy yawn, followed by a very interesting burp, to look at his ex-girlfriend. "Sure. Donna usually pulls him out of these things."

"If you and he are partners, fully, why does he not turn to you for these times?" 

Dick sighed, and ran a hand back over his hair before walking over to the crib to put the nearly sleeping baby down. "It has to do with his... looking up to me. I don't know if it's because I was the leader, or because I did more younger, or just... if it's just Roy and his particular need for someone to look up to. But he did, he still does in a lot of ways, and he's never not seen that time as his worst failure. Getting reminded of it.."

"But I have heard you say that it was not just his failure, that you and the others of that first team should have known things were bad, that Oliver Queen bears the majority of blame." Kory rose and carried the sleeping baby in her arms over, putting him to bed in the crib as well. She then walked out of the nursery with Dick to the living room of his suite.

"Doesn't change the 'macho bullshit' of not wanting to have his weakness in my face," Dick said with a frustrated sigh.

"Sometimes, Dick, your species still makes no sense to me."

"I'm with you there, Kory."

`~`~`~`~`

Roy woke, feeling a little more himself and far more friendly than he ought to be, considering it was Donna in his arms, not Dick. In the past, it might not have mattered, but he had committed to Dick. That meant no more bed swapping or foursome-play.

With a strong will, he forced his body to relax away from the cuddlesome beauty, taking the moment of her still sleeping to just watch her. She'd been the first girl that meant anything, his first kiss, and despite the ups and downs of the years, he had to admit he still loved her.

He didn't seem capable of giving up his loves, as witnessed by his stubborn attempts to pull Jade around, or how hard he'd worked to stay in Dick's life over the years.

"You're staring," came Donna's voice, even before she opened her eyes, pulling him out of his reverie before he got any further than knowing he would miss all they had shared now that he had settled down.

"Well, when you have the most beautiful woman around laying in bed with you, it's to be expected." Roy laughed when she did open her eyes to reach out and smack his arm, but then she smiled at him and he knew his words were truer than ever.

"You're a silver-tongued Zeus at times, Roy Harper." She pressed up and kissed his cheek.

"Nah, if I was that old guy, I'd have way more than just Lian and the twins." Roy grinned irrepressibly, sliding out of the bed to stretch as she sat up.

"I so did not need to just think of the boys as being like Athena," Donna told him. 

"Your gods go messing in my kids' lives, and we'll have words, Wonder Chick." Roy mock-glared at her, crossing his arms.

"Like I would be doing anything other than protecting them from that?" Donna retaliated, throwing a pillow at him. He caught and returned it right back at her, grinning.

"True." He came over to her side of the bed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "You and Kory... moving ahead?" he asked, with a shift in focus as frustrating as Wally's could be.

She looked up at him, wondering if it was time for perfect candidness or not. There was something in his gold-flecked eyes that invited her to be open, and she took a deep breath. "We both miss both of you, the way it was."

Roy sank back on the side of the bed, frowning. "I always thought I'd settle down some day, Donna. Too much to offer Lian, you know, by finding the right person to do it with. Never really dreamed it would finally be Robbie, or that there'd be more kids."

"You know, settling down with the heir of Wayne Enterprises isn't exactly a bad deal." Donna poked his side, until he had to smile at that thought.

"It's not that, Donna-girl. It's..." He rubbed a hand over his shaggy hair, then shook his head. "I don't know if I'm doing anything right, just muddling through like I always have, and I miss you, and I know Dick misses Kory, but this is the way it has to be, right? We have to put the kids first and all."

Donna frowned, hearing more doubt in that than she expected, given how tense Roy had been when Kory first came back. She had assumed it was Roy's insecurities where Dick's heart was concerned, and that was part of it, but this was more. It was Roy trying to conform to something approaching normal society, and not fitting in any more than he ever had.

How many times had that blown up and hurt her first love? How many times had none of them seen it coming until it was too late?

"Roy, did you ever stop and think about the fact that not a single one of us has had anything even remotely approaching a normal life? Do you really think our children, any of them from Cerdian to Lian to Mirage's baby to the twins, will escape the fact our lives don't mesh in the real world all that well?" She laced her fingers in his. "I think you and Dick should actually talk about all this, instead of just assuming you have to copycat middle America, Roy. Please?"

The archer looked at her, then at their hands, and nodded slowly.

"I'll talk to him."

`~`~`~`~`

Roy really had meant to talk to Dick immediately, but when he and Donna went to find the other half of the fathers, Kory was babysitting. Dick, it seemed, had been called to Gotham City for something going majorly wrong down there. The tension crept right back into Roy's whole body, setting J.T. to crying from reaction to his dad's nerves.

"Sorry, sorry," he soothed, holding his son up to his shoulder, doing a jiggling maneuver as he walked back and forth until the baby calmed. By then, Kory had had to pick up Lance, petting him and keeping him calmed from the full cry he was threatening. Donna had to leave them to cope then, so she could get moving to her photo shoot.

"Thank you, Kory. You could have come to get me." Roy smiled her way. "After all, I was monopolizing your girlfriend."

Kory gave him a pretty smile. "You needed her. And I was enjoying having time with the children. Lian read to us all when Dick's leaving woke them all up," she said. "I never knew there was another side to the tale of those poor pigs, but now I see the wolf was much maligned."

Roy had to fight to keep his laughter down at that synopsis of Lian's reading. **The True Story of The Three Little Pigs** still topped his daughter's reading list, a fact Roy tried not to read too much into. "She loves that book."

"She read it very nicely, using voices for everyone." Kory settled the little boy down on his play mat, watching as he began using his limited mobility to explore the toys helpfully placed there.

"You do that well," Roy said softly, putting J.T. on the other play mat

"You keep being amazed by me working with the babies, Roy." She settled on the couch, patting the cushion for him to join her, which he did. "Tamaranean babies were not unknown to me, though I did not have much to do with them. And while the human ones are more delicate, the principle is the same."

He looked embarrassed for a minute, then shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "I think of you as this battle-ready woman, Kory. More than Donna, and Spirit but I know how capable she is."

"It doesn't change the basic desire to be part of a family, which is what the Titans always have been for me. Of course I will take the time to care for the small ones of our family, especially given their parents." She waited until he met her eyes then. "Roy, I take it very seriously that Dick has chosen to mate and raise children. You allowing me this part of their lives means much to me."

Roy grinned at her, feeling some band of invisible constriction on his chest just snap free and go away. Donna was right; they weren't normal. So why were they trying to fight themselves into conformity? 

"Kory, I want you to be part of their lives for a lot of reasons. Now, let's find something to do so I'm not worried why Dick would be needed in Gotham by day."

`~`~`~`~`

Donna yawned, crawling into bed with Kory. She was still quite pleased by the fact the princess had chosen for their relationship to move into a full sharing of beds, rooms, time... it all suited them both. Donna couldn't remember being this content in her personal life since those early days with Terry, before everything turned so wrong.

"You are tired," Kory observed, running a hand along her hair as they snuggled close together.

"Still not fully back in the swing of all-day photo shoots," Donna admitted.

"Especially not after all night villain fighting?"

"It wasn't that bad last night... we got in pretty early, actually." The dark-haired woman closed her eyes, letting Kory's heat and that unique, spicy scent lull her toward sleep.

"It seems to have done much good for Roy that you did. We had a good day today." Kory just stroked, slow and sure along her dark hair, the back and shoulders that it hid.

"Mmm, good." Donna yawned again, close to sleep, not quite catching the full nuances. Kory just smiled, and held her until sleep came for her as well.

`~`~`~`~`

The Tower slept quietly, its denizens all at peace for a change. The younger members were watched over as diligently as the ones who were the veterans of the team, viewed and assessed by the energy of a being that had once found living difficult, due to an overload of energies.

That being would have smiled, a gentle expression, if there had been form to give, upon witnessing the young children in one set of rooms. Perhaps it was time, time and more than time to return with another lost one. It would be quite a shame to miss out on the family that had begun to coalesce among the Titans.

`~`~`~`~`

"I'm telling you, there was something here last night." Cyborg walked alongside Tempest, while Omen expounded. "I've felt it before, but last night, the energies of this place were disturbed."

"It's the Titans Tower, man... upside down at that. It's always disturbed." 

Cyborg barked a short laugh at Tempest's attempts to lighten up the atmosphere, and put his own comments in. "Seriously, girl, the detection net didn't see any energies of any kind that are threatening. You have a hunch something's going to happen, fine. But until you get something solid, or the net does, we're stuck blind. Do you really want me to get Argent and Damage revved up for something that might be nothing?"

Omen sighed in frustration. "Cyborg!"

Tempest cut in. "Omen, I will remain tonight. Dolphin can cope with one night alone." He had to smile softly, because his still baby-fat toddler was happily nestled in with the boys under Lian's watchful eye in one of the dens. Roy had waved him on, promising to keep the toddler out of mischief. 

"Thank you, Tempest." Omen nodded curtly to him, before making her way back up to the level her friends were on, passing Nightwing and Starfire heading down.

"Were we ever that bad?" Vic asked Garth, once the more junior Titan was gone.

Garth snorted, shrugging one shoulder. "You had Raven among your crew. It was either listen or regret it, from everything Dick ever said."

"True. Still, I think I'm going to yell at Green Genes to get back from the West Coast. Just to be safe." He didn't really think something was coming, but if Omen was sensing something, he'd rather have Gar with them. 

Garth nodded, before heading back to the den the kids had taken over. It never hurt to be cautious, for all that they had given Omen a hard time on it.

`~`~`~`~`

Kory was curled up on one end of the couch, Donna in her arms, while Roy sprawled on the other end, Dick on the floor in front of him with his head leaned back into Roy's caressing fingers on his dark hair. The boys were passed out on their play mats, Lian had been draped with a blanket on the love seat, and Garth had taken Cerdian downstairs to the tidal pool for rest hours earlier.

The movie on the television was barely keeping their attention beyond jeering the fight scenes, but none of the four adults really cared. It was one of those rare quiet moments that needed to happen now and then to keep sanity going for them.

And like all quiet Titan moments, it was bound to be interrupted. The power in the whole complex flickered, momentarily removing the holographic projection of Titan's Tower on the island.

"Look alive, Titans!" came over the communicators, as Cyborg ran a diagnostic, trying to figure out what and why on that power drop... No, his instruments told him it was a power surge overloading his generators.

"Kids!" Dick told Roy, coming up off the floor almost the moment the lights flickered. 

"On it!" The archer moved to bundle both babies into his arms, even as Lian sleepily sat up. "Come on, etai yazi...down to our rooms fast." The girl shook off her lethargy and followed her daddy down, while her papa Dick and aunts Donna and Kory went up, to find the problem.

"Big energy surge, came through our grid, now …. whoa that's big... Get outside, team. Looks to be focusing near the front door!" Cyborg told them all.

"Tempest?" Nightwing thought to check.

"Damage's staying with Cerdian!" Tempest called back to his team leader. "If we need him, we can pull him, but for now..."

"Gotcha. Arsenal's staying inside too. They're a hell of a reserve team."

"Thanks, 'Wing. Just don't have too much fun without me," Arsenal called over the comm, as he got the boys, now alert from all the jostling around, into the playpen, and parked his daughter next to them.

The team, which had Nightwing, Troia, Starfire, Cyborg, Omen, Argent, and Tempest right now, made it up and onto the island proper in time to see the glow of energy divide into two distinct forms. It was blindingly bright, a white-gold pouring of energy that only slowly faded into body-shaped impressions before solidifying.

The gasp of a collective shock was immediate, as the light died enough to reveal a tall young man, and a slightly shorter young woman, both clad in only simple robes of white, and familiar to everyone as either a friend or a legend, depending on how recently joined the Titan in question was.

"Never seen anyone lost return to the fold?" the woman asked, a hint of impish humor tinging her voice, even though her face remained as serene as it had ever been.

The man reached out to her, pulling her closer to his body, as his hand flicked a quick, almost shy 'hello' their way. She reached up, touching his throat, the unblemished skin smooth under her fingers... and he gasped.

"Speech?" he asked, and that was all it took for the older Titans to descend on them like a pack of puppies. The hugs and kisses were legion, as both Raven and Jericho were welcomed home... amidst squawks from Arsenal for explanations of what was happening amidst the buzz of voices.

"Hell, but Green Genes is going to be pissed he didn't come home when I called," Cyborg finally said. "Arsenal, alert's off... we got two of our own up here. Trust Raven to go and get her boyfriend back."

"Joey..." Arsenal cut himself off. "Damn it guys, send someone down to watch the babies so I can come up there!"

That got a laugh, and Argent volunteered to go let the archer come back up, since none of the seniors were about to let go. 

`~`~`~`~`

Roy rested against Dick, satiated and happier than he'd been in so long. Raven and Joey being back had made him flinch, look for the extra boot to fall down and kick them all in the ass, but once Gar had gotten there, he reminded Roy that really ought to be Slade's issue.

Vic hadn't helped by pointing out that things stomping on Deathstroke tended to stomp on them too, at which point the shape-shifter and his best friend had absconded with Joey into a quiet corner to catch him up on his dad.

The best part of that, once Dick got Roy fully relaxed enough to see it, was that Joey was planning to go see his dad and godfather, rather than them have to cope with Slade invading the Tower. Now, Roy could just float in blissful pleasure, absolutely boneless from the way Dick had made him feel.

Then he remembered that they were supposed to have talked to the girls after the movie earlier. Or at least, that had been on his agenda, since he still hadn't gotten around to really talking to Dick. Now seemed like a good opportunity, and he shifted a little to look up at his lover. 

Dick's face was perfectly serene, sleep having caught him in the quiet moments of just holding Roy after their loving. It put a small smile on Roy's lips.

Tomorrow, then, would have to be soon enough.

`~`~`~`~`

It was Kory, of course, who finally put an end to the interruptions and inconveniences. She and Roy had reached an unspoken agreement; now it needed to be said and the other two just had to be present. With a very firm voice, she told Batman himself that Nightwing was unavailable, to Dick's absolute shock, once the senior hero admitted he had other resources to pull from, before telling Donna that no, she really didn't need to go over the day's proofs just yet. Argent and Damage both got put on babysitting duty, while Roy just had to smile and go along with the far more fiery redhead in their complicated tangle. It was never a good idea to buck what Kory wanted on something – and he didn't want to anyway. 

"Okay, now that you've all but kidnapped us," Dick said ruefully, "mind telling us what's up?"

"This charade of two pairs has worn thin, Dick," Kory told him. "Roy and I both see it, you and Donna see it as well, I think."

Dick stared at her, shaking his head just a little in surprise, some piece of him still the young man that had had so many issues over faithfulness over the years, not least when it came to Kory and her obligations -- but he wasn't that young any more, and over the years he'd learned some things about love and trust and need. It took him a couple of minutes to think about loving her and missing her, needing Roy and loving him, and all of the ways he loved Donna -- all the ways Roy did -- before he nodded, but he did. "We all need each other, Kory, you're right." 

"We really do," Donna said. "We've all grown up having particular things we go to each other for, and no one can ever say we don't love each other fully, if in different ways." Donna smiled softly from Roy to Kory, to Dick, then shook her head. "We really aren't normal. Not with what we are and what we do, but I think a big part of each of us was trying to be normal in this... and it's not us."

"No, not really. I get that now, really got it a couple of weeks ago, but one thing after another," Roy complained, "kept us from talking it out."

"So I interfered," Kory told them, smiling happily at having done so.

Dick shook his head, laughing at her, and reached out to pull her in for a second. "Kory, you're good at interfering when you need to -- you always have been." He turned enough to look at his partner, his head tipped a little. "You've been trying for weeks to have enough time to talk to me? Why didn' -- never mind. Our lives." The last words were a wry, darkly amused sigh. 

Roy laughed softly, nodding. "Movie night... I was going to. And then we got Joey and Rae, and things have been busy since." He shrugged. "Long as we're on the same page now, right?"

"Yeah, featherhead." Donna made her way over, scooting into his space and planting a long, deep kiss on his lips, one that he cooperated with intensely. The two of them had almost as much baggage as Dick and Kory, but under it all, they were still in love.

"Donna, as always, has the right idea," Kory said, before dipping her face down to kiss Dick as thoroughly.

When she finally let him up for air, Dick took advantage of the moment to say, "Dunno... this was yours..." before he kissed her again, listening with half an ear to the sound of Donna twisting around to pin Roy a little more, grinning to himself against Kory's mouth. 

`~`~`~`~`

Raven watched as J.T. held tight to Kory's hands, staggering forward with steps that went from ultra slow to almost running, making both Donna and Kory laugh at the attempt. He was a little young for it, but he seemed to want to be up and moving even more than Lance did.

"Motherhood suits you both," she observed, letting herself drink up the emotions of her two friends, the simplicity of the babies washing over her behind it.

"It is a joy, to be reminded so directly of what we fight for," Kory told her.

"Since the boys wanted to take Lian to the Circus, and these two are a little young for it, we're getting a lot of practice," Donna said, smiling still as she laid on the floor, letting Lance snuggle on her chest and stomach in his sleepy fashion.

"Being back is full of so many interesting challenges, but seeing my friends so happy... it has made it all worth it."

Donna glanced slyly over at her. "And not a bit of that worthiness is because you and Joey stopped cat-footing around being in love?" She had to laugh softly when a touch of crimson graced Raven's cheeks.

"We are well-suited," was all the empath would admit to. 

"You always were, and yet you both avoided it so long," Kory said, finally scooping J.T. up to her shoulder to hold him. "I am glad you have returned, and that you brought him back with you."

Donna considered everything for a long moment. "You know, I could feel so much tension building there for a while, once you'd left us, Raven. But ever since the babies came, it feels like, maybe, for once, we are finally pulling it fully together as the family we're meant to be."

"You and Kory and Dick and Roy certainly have, but I take your point. Garth is here more often from what Vic said, and the younger members are growing easier with all of us." Raven gave a genuinely warm smile at the idea of her family, the one she could always count on, solidifying, growing up more.

"We have Lian and Cerdian, J.T. and Lance, and then there's Baby, and Mirage's daughter," Kory said, having slowly grown to accept that Mirage was not fully accountable for what had happened in their original meeting. "A whole new generation to raise."

"And we'll do it with an eye to the fact that we are not leading ordinary lives," Donna said firmly. "Titans, always, and that means caring for all the children."

Raven nodded. "It is the only wise course of action."

"Do you and Joseph plan to contribute to the baby boom?" Kory asked slyly.

Raven merely smiled, for such talks were not yet appropriate. However, her dreams said there would be at least one, in due time.

`~`~`~`~`

Roy found himself awake and restless, a rare feat, given that between idiots like The Key and Brainiac were noticing their team, raising kids, and being part of a very functional if not traditional family he was usually wiped out.

Now, he slipped free of Donna's arms, ignoring her sleepy murmur. Soft snores told him the other pair were also sleeping in the other room of their, yet-again, expanded suite. He moved to the door of the nursery, peeking in to see the two boys in their single crib, one blanket half over J.T.'s legs, the other thrown clear out of the crib by Lance. He had to grin; he was just as bad about throwing off the covers on a hot night.

Moving on, he looked in on Lian, curled up in her princess bed, a look of serenity on her features. He would not play favorites, he sternly told himself again, but he knew he sometimes ached for her not being able to know her mother. Both Donna and Kory had taken to including her in girl-type things, so that she would not lack for feminine influence, even with Dinah on her unexplained disappearance to Africa that was stretching out longer than he'd thought it would.

Roy had a solid family, and for a moment, it scared him stupid. To come so far, from so long being the orphan, the addict, the unwanted one... and yet, responding to that was what the Titans were about, for those that could fit into their lifestyle. This would work, with the general atmosphere of all for one, and the newer commitment of he and Dick to Kory and Donna. 

Family. It was what a person made, and this time, Roy had been smiled on by the fates in making the right choices.


End file.
